An Evening Flight
-Evening is falling in Vos as the sun sheds a warm glow on the prosperous city before it sinks slowly behind the horizon line. The fading light dances on the crystal clear panes of the Vosian Citadel, casting whitened reflections down on the populace below. For some, this is an uneventful end to a ordinary cycle--but such is not the case for the ruler of Vos. Starscream flies sullenly into his posh apartment with a heavy sigh, looking drained. Once inside, he walks over to the wall of glass overlooking the Vosian academy, his expression fatigued. "Get me a drink," he commands of the drone on stand by. -Well, there's a knock on the door, so hopefully Starscream isn't so sullen that he minds a visitor. Swift Blade is standing on the otherside, expression impassive. She waits patiently, not being the kind that needs to knock every five seconds until the door gets answered. -Ugh, this isn't a good time right now. But what kind of school president isn't there for his students 100 of the time? One who /isn't/ Starscream, obviously. He sighs. "Come in," he says after a moment, and the airlock on his apartment door hisses unlocked. -Swift Blade is technically a student...of sorts. She's not as green as a lot of the young ones would be, but she also doesn't have the background and training that a seeker should have. So, at the moment, she sort of doesn't fit in anywhere. She enters when bidden, her hands held behind her back in a respectful 'at ease' type position. "Good evening," she says softly, inclining her head with respect. -Starscream has his back turned to her initially, but after regaining his composure he turns to her with a smile and gestures for her to sit down. "Please," he says, "make yourself at home. Did you need something?" the seeker says with flat politeness. -Swift Blade smiles faintly. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you," she says, not because she saw through the smile, but because it's the polite thing to say. "I just wanted to come by to express my thanks for your support so far, especially since you must have many different matters to attend to." She's meaning the waived tuition of course, since she's barely seen him since they first met. -Primus, she saw right through his smile. That was.. new and very unusual, no one had ever been to see through Starscream's facade before. He is momentarily disconcerted. "....Oh no, you didn't bother me," he says quickly, though she'll take note of the hesitation before his statement. "Of course," the seeker says, offering her another smile. "Would you like anything to drink? Please, sit." -Swift Blade isn't really /that/ astute. She's just polite. "I will pass for now, if that doesn't offend you," she says softly, taking a seat as offered. "I had nothing when I arrived except the wreckage of my shuttle, and things would have been very difficult for me if not for your backing." Credit must be given where it is due; she has no way of knowing how manipulative the other Seeker truly is. Perhaps she would not even care. -"That's fine," Starscream waves dismissively at her. "Of course, of course. It was nothing." He sits down on the couch next to her, a vague expression of fatigue flickering onto his features again for a moment. He drapes an arm around her casually, as if it were every bit his right to do so. He sighs, and stares out the window for a moment before turning his crimson gaze on her. "Generosity has it benefits, you know." -"I can only imagine," Swift Blade says. "Until recently I haven't been in much of a position to give or receive generosity." She pauses. "I hope that will change once I'm through with training and able to stand on my own two feet." She inclines her head towards Starscream. "Long cycle?" she inquires softly. -"Hell, yes," the Starscream says, rubbing his fore helm again, his facade momentarily disappearing. Then, he regains his composure and nods at her, giving her a sultry smile. "Yes, the training will provide all that and more for you," he says, "are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" -Swift Blade holds up a hand. "I'm alright, but thank you," she says. "I'm sorry to hear that; hopefully tomorrow will be better." She give a small shrug. "You must be kept very busy; if you wish me to leave, I can. I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome." -"No, please stay," Starscream says urgently, his tone of voice and expression desperate and sad. Seems like his usual guise is starting to crumble a little. However, he isn't so discombobulated as to not realize that it is. He immediately resumes his usual airy demeanor. "I mean, if you'd like to stay, you should, but if you have business elsewhere, please, feel free to excuse yourself." -Swift Blade relaxes slightly in her seat. She's not the kind to make a scene about someone else's demeanor. If people slip up, well, it's expected to happen. No need to rub it in. "I have nothing planned for this evening, no," she says with a little smile. Looking for a subject to discuss, she finally says, "I think I'm doing well enough in my training that I will not be an embarassment." -"Good," Starscream says, getting up, and moving over to the window. "It's nice to have company every once in a while," he says, "I've been busy lately and haven't had any for a while." "Oh really?" He smirks a little, and his boosters activate. "Maybe we should go for a fly?" -"If that is what you feel like," Swift Blade says. She's probably not nearly as good as a master, but she is comfortably within the expectations for her class. "After all, these aren't just for show," and she gestures towards her wings. But she remains seated until she hears the answer. Being in the position she is compared to the position Starscream is, which is quite high, it makes sense to defer to him. -"Of course, when am I ever not up for a fly?" Starscream says with a chuckle, transforming. "Oh really? You'd better show me," he says. And then, the ceiling opens up, and he jets upward, laughing. -Well, if the owner of the room says it's okay to Transform, then it's okay to Transform. Swift Blade follows the example once she's sure she's given herself enough space. At a quick glance she looks like the 'average' seeker, but even a general observer would noticed that she's been somewhat modified over the years. Likewise she rises up from the ceiling. Unlike many youths that might be willing to 'prove' themselves on par with the masters, she's more conservative in her intentions; she wishes merely to learn from someone who must be good at what they do since they hold such a high position. Still, that's not to say she won't try her best. -"Oh come on," Starscream teases, "you're the slagging slowest flier I've ever met," he says, as he races off into the night, high up into the clouds, disappearing from Swift Blade's view. Where did he go? Did he just.. ditch her? Not unlikely, but at the same time, he'd been the one begging for her to stay earlier... -Swift Blade is not the kind of femme to rise to the bait. Maybe a lot of seekers are simply formed with a great deal of arrogance, maybe it's a nurture thing, but whatever it is, that seems to have been left out of her program. She's certainly not going to be able to beat Starscream, but she makes a valiant effort to push as much into her speed as possible. After all her time spent away, her systems have been repeatedly tinkered with, but if she doesn't try her best, she won't know how good she /can/ be. -Starscream is still nowhere in sight. Although she'll hear the sound barrier break above her. He must be up higher, far above the clouds. Judging from how far away the sonic boom is, it looks like he's pretty close to the edge of the atmosphere. -To admit defeat too early will be akin to giving up, and Swift Blade doesn't care much for that option. Using the sound she presses herself onward and upwards. It's not as though she can really change her systems mid-flight, especially since she's no mechanic. However, it's enough to make her consider looking into what can be done to help. Then again, comparing herself to someone who has already clawed their way so high up might be a fool's errand to begin with. But she will wait before she settles on that conclusion. -All of a sudden, the red and white seeker appears out from behind a cloud and approaches her quickly from behind. He laughs and knocks her wingtip flirtatiously with his, his jet engines humming in a pleased fashion. "I /know/ you can do better than that," he goads, and flies off again, but stays within sight this time. -"And how do you /know/ this?" is the femme's return. "My speed was sacrificed for fuel efficiency I'm afraid," she adds a bit wistfully. "And I think perhaps, at one point, it might have been capped so that I was not able to, attempt an escape." There's a little more anger behind this statement. "I do not have the skill to reverse what was done to me." Still, she presses herself until either she fails entirely or the male seeker tires of toying with her. Giving up is not really an option; Swift Blade rarely gives up: she endures. -"... my apologies," The seeker says, slowing down suddenly. "I suppose you'll need some retrofitting then. Ah, well, that can easily be arranged," Starscream says. He then loops dramatically forwards, spinning and twisting as he goes in a showy fashion. "How's your maneuverability?" he asks, lazily. -"Not as shabby as my speed." She had been rather sleeked down at a few points in her history. "Some people like to be able to display something flashy with their money." It is quite a relief to Swift Blade to have the speed slowed a little. At first she follows the spins and twists, partly just to show she can and partly to observe and get a better grasp on the other Seeker's motions. -"Oh?" The seeker watches carefully as she keeps up with his maneuvers. "Mm. You're right, you didn't embarrass yourself. Not bad. But is that your best?" he asks, decreasing his elevation. They're above Iacon now. -Well, one can't always do the following. Rather, at this point, Swift Blade is going to try to anticipate the moves of Starscream and try to move in a way to compliment the other Seeker rather than copy him. She's only really flown this way with pilots that were seperate from their crafts, but it's worth a try. -Starscream protoforms as he starts to descend. Below them, Iacon is lit up like a starry night, the tiny gold dots of light glowing like tiny energon crystals. The seeker slows down more, glancing over at Swift Blade. "That's better. I hope you're enjoying your time at the academy," he says, "if you keep at your studies, you may become one of my top students." He grins. -"I plan to do well, but I am not so competitive that I wish to overshine those who put such stock in such things. THough, from what I've observed, some people do well with those sort of rivalries," Swift Blade emits as she flies. "I am learning most of the theory quite well, but in some aspects I am going to fall behind unless my equipment is eventually made to match." -"I'm flattered, but really," The seeker says, "you're almost boring me." Starscream floats lower, closer to the city. "Well, yes, about the retrofitting. I can arrange that for you... soon." Suddenly, he sighs, and rubs his helm in a regretful fashion, looking tired. -"In the future, perhaps I will be less boring," Swift Blade suggests. Her personality and temper are not volitile; years of servitude has given her a very quiet presence. She transform to match Starscream and notes that he seems weary now. "Hopefully your flight did you some good," she says quietly. -"I hope so," Starscream says, "I don't tolerate boring people," he says with a wink. He doesn't respond to her comment about flight doing him some good right away. "... I'm fine," he says after a moment. "Just a little distracted, that's all. I was thinking about getting you retrofitted." -"Then I will endeavor to not be boring," Swift Blade says with a dry little smile. "Though I can't promise success." She nods her head solemnly. "Any improvements will help me to do my duties better," she says with agreement. "Though I am in the dark as to the process of getting such a thing on Cybertron. Previously my masters did whatever they pleased whenever it pleased them." Hint of bitterness here, but only a hint. -"I certainly hope so," he says, "otherwise, I'll have to expel you from the academy." He flashes her a coquettish smile, and squeezes her should lightly before continuing to descend towards Iacon. Then, again, the barest flicker of a pained look. "Don't worry about it, I'll... arrange it." He's staring out into the distance now. -"I wasn't worried exactly; I just didn't want to be misunderstood," Swift Blade says, staring into the distance to see if Starscream is actually looking at something or if his mind truly is elsewhere. She doesn't shy away from having her shoulder squeezed, though she does look faintly surprised. -"..." Starscream doesn't say anything. He stares out into the distance and his expression is hard to read. His mind truly /is/ elsewhere. He seems quite absorbed, which is odd, he isn't usually the type to zone out like that... -The femme Seeker doesn't know the Air Commander well enough to know how unusual this is. Nor is she familiar enough with him to make too much contact, though he has made contact with her a few times already. Instead she just 'stands' hovering beside him. If he wishes to speak, she assumes he will do so. It is neither her place nor in her nature to be intrusive. Still, there's a sense of support in her silence. -His expression turns pained again, and he doesn't answer that question. Swift Blade didn't mean for it to be personal, but for Starscream, it is. However, after a moment, he regains his composure. "It's alright.. we all have to cut losses sometimes," he says, "it's just.. part of life." Although he says that last little bit in a tired voice. "Come. Let's head back to the academy." -"Life does throw some hard things our way. At times we can fix it, other times it must simply be endured." Swift Blade nods her head; she is willing to leave as this place means nothing to her. Since she is so much slower, she jumps up and transforms to get a head start. -Starscream catches up to her easily, being the faster seeker. "Yes, that's true. It's alright, really, he reassures her, and his feigned contentment is so accurate, Swift Blade would probably never have guessed he was still hurting emotionally. Once they return to the academy, Starscream smiles politely at her. "Thank you, for joining me." -"It was no problem. And it is good to have a mark to strive towards, even if I never meet it," Swift Blade adds gravely. She is not so astute that she can see through his pretense at contentment. It seems reasonable to her that a good fly could restore his spirits. -Starscream looks pleased. "Really," he says, "you're embarrassing me," he says, although it's quite clear he agrees one hundred percent with her previous statement. "No, really. It's been a while since I had company. I'm glad you stayed. I get lonely too sometimes." He leans forward and presses his lips against her cheek lightly and briefly, brushing a hand under her chin gently. "Have a good night," he says, with a small smirk. Then he turns and retreats into his apartment. -"I hope you have a good night as well. And I will continue to try to do well, if only so you have reason to be proud of this class," Swift Blade says, bowing to her superior before turning to leave.